Richmond Diary
The Visionary Year? 2020
The ‘Lockdown’ The Visionary Year? One could say it has been an eye opener – just the place for a virus to enter? At the time of writing we are moving into the third week of the lockdown. The ‘lockdown’ with holes large enough for aircraft to fly through and ships to sail through and along with contradicting instructions from up high, the doom and gloom via the media, is it any wonder that the general public are confused or a little blasé? It won’t be long before a suitable antidote will be ready for this virus. During...
read moreFive Days Over in Blenheim and Picton
Grovetown Lagoon I had heard about this lagoon several years ago when they were starting to set up pest traps. I guess they got in touch for some advice in building the trap tunnels. It is near Grovetown, not very far from Blenheim and is an oxbow lake formed about 155 years ago when the Wairau River changed course. I had wondered how they got along with the trapping, with clearing weeds and constructing the track around the lagoon. Well, we walked the circular track around the lagoon but as it was very windy we didn’t see much bird life...
read moreNovember Walks
Walk Takaka Hill Walkway We led our walking group around the loop track of the Takaka Hill Walkway early November. It is private property and the walk is via the Queen Elizabeth 2 National Trust so no permission needed. A thanks to the owners! Starting from the car park then along a little to turn off onto a bush track that climbs through some pretty good native bush to come out on the road to the TV radio towers. At the start of the bush track is an old hut. Or was. It still is really but now it is on its side and the old ‘petrified’ cow is...
read moreDrifting Around on a Bike
We watched a harrier hawk floating up high above the Waimea River while on a bike ride out to Brightwater a few weeks ago. A black-backed seagull came into view and then suddenly the gull flew straight for the harrier causing it to swerve out of the way, but the harrier kept on its patrol seemingly unperturbed until another gull joined the fray. The harrier continued its circling flight but now it was continually harassed by the attacking gulls. Gradually, at the gulls’ consistent dive bombing flights, the harrier moved away out of sight....
read moreLocal Ambles during Winter
Visiting Haulashore Island It’s an island now but it seems that in the early days of the 1840’s, it was an island only at high tide. It is the southern most bit of the Boulder Bank protecting Nelson harbour and to make an entrance for sailing ships to the Nelson Port safer, a channel through the Boulder Bank was cut and it opened in 1906. The Cut, as this channel is called, has been widened and deepened to accommodate logging and other ships coming and going to the port today. Setting sail through The Cut. At the old shipping entrance to...
read more